Sovereign of the Ashes

Sein's conversation with the knight overlord went smoothly and cordially.

After they reached a consensus on what stance to take at the upcoming Magus Alliance Conference, the knight overlord asked Sein many questions.

He seemed genuinely interested in Sein, asking about his thoughts on everyday life, values, and broader topics.

Beyond the matters of the demihumans and black mages, he also wanted Sein's opinions on the sea races, magic beasts, and the allied planes of the Magus Alliance.

Sein answered candidly, sharing his honest views without much hesitation.

He saw no need to pretend or hold anything back in front of someone like this knight overlord.

The knight overlord mostly just nodded in response, offering little judgment.

At one point, Sein even praised the widespread adoption of magic in the Averoth Empire.

If all intelligent beings across Magus World were given the chance to learn magic, it could reshape the entire civilization.

To that, the middle-aged knight simply gave another nod, offering no further comment.

At the end of their meeting, Sein was handed a white envelope—an official invitation to the Magus Alliance Conference.

According to the knight overlord, the next conference would likely be held within the next millennium.

The sudden announcement of the 25th conference was a clear sign that the Magus Civilization was already facing a time of urgent crisis and looming challenges.

Since the conference was being called far ahead of schedule, many of the Magus World powerhouses and alliance members were caught off guard.

Along with the invitation, the knight overlord also gave Sein and Leena an opportunity to visit the Knight Continent again.

That was the real prize for agreeing to stand and speak on his behalf at the conference.

Rather than handing Sein a reward outright, the knight overlord preferred to give him the chance to earn his own gains.

The knight overlord sent Sein to the heart of Knight Continent—the region where Rank Three and demigod-level beings usually trained.

It was a place brimming with treasures, rare creatures, and legacy secret realms.

It was only at this moment that Sein realized the Knight Continent had reopened once more.

The last time he set foot here, he had only been a Rank One mage.

Now, as a demigod-level mage, the trials and experiences awaiting him would be on an entirely different scale.

After seeing Sein and Leena off, the middle-aged knight turned to Tourmaline and said, "You can't go in there. And by the way, your sister has been looking for you. It seems you have some relatives from a distant star domain coming to visit."

Tourmaline furrowed her brow slightly, glancing in the direction Sein and Leena had gone. With a small pout, she replied, "Fine."

"My relatives?" she murmured, scratching her head. The green ribbons wrapped around her arms immediately reminded her of her uncle.

Could it be that he was coming to see her again?

The last time she had seen him in the Wild Gorilla Star Domain, he had given her a pretty generous gift.

Now, hearing another relative was coming, Tourmaline could not help feeling excited.

It was not really because she was eager to see them; she was just expecting another gift.

Watching Tourmaline happily skip off, the middle-aged knight once again looked toward where Sein had disappeared.

"Same name, but such a different face," he murmured.

"That Sein back then was just a commoner. He wasn't nearly as handsome as that young man. And Vincent... he gave everything for the demihumans. In some ways, this boy reminds me of him."

The knight let out a long sigh and slowly closed his eyes.

"I miss them..."

***

Sein, who had originally planned to return to the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring after spending a bit more time in the Western Archipelago, now found himself unexpectedly back on the Knight Continent.

That conversation with the knight overlord had left him with plenty to reflect on.

The man had not spoken much, but every word carried weight.

Glancing down at the envelope in his hand, Sein quietly tucked the invitation away.

News that the next Magus Alliance Conference would be held within the next millennium was probably something even Master Lorianne had not yet heard.

Still, Lorianne was fully qualified to attend, and in the months ahead, invitations would surely start reaching the other participants.

It was shaping up to be a massive event—one that would gather tens of thousands of Rank Four and above powerhouses.

With demigods like Sein and representatives from microplanes included, the total number of attendees would likely pass one hundred thousand.

Of course, Sein would only find out what awaited him once he arrived.

What intrigued him even more than the many Rank Four and above beings, though, were the overlords of the Magus Alliance.

That golden hand he had seen descending from the sky during the battle on Bouldrak Plane some time ago was presumably the Beastmen World's overlord, Kampas.

Sein could not help but wonder just how many beings like Kampas existed within the Magus Alliance.

With these thoughts swirling in his mind, he drew closer and closer to the Knight Continent.

Thanks to the permissions and privileges granted by the knight overlord, Sein's entry into the continent this time went much smoother than his first visit.

The dense elemental energy, far richer than anything in the outside world, quickly enveloped him.

And having been here before, Sein knew that time flowed differently on the Knight Continent.

It moved slower here.

Not long after descending from the sky, Sein stumbled upon a battle.

A Rank Three mage was locked in combat with a group of Scoragons.

Scoragons were unusual creatures—part scorpion, part dragon. Their most dangerous feature was the venomous stinger on their tails, but they actually did not carry much actual dragon blood.

The Rank Three Geomancer was fending off five Scoragons with several layers of geo elemental shields.

These creatures typically lived in family groups. The five in front of him consisted of two Rank Three, two Rank Two, and one Rank One.

The two Rank Three Scoragons were clearly the male and female leaders of the family, while the remaining three were their offspring.

In Magus World, Rank Three Scoragons were also known by another name—Arachadrake Lords.

Wild Scoragons were extremely rare in Magus World. They were a special species that had thrived three hundred thousand years ago.

On the Knight Continent—Magus World's most prized treasure trove—it was not uncommon to find ancient species like this still surviving.

Curious and eager to study the creature, Sein drew his magic rod and called out, "Let me give you a hand!"